Chapter-27

Kurama had to wait until nightfall for his friend to return and when he saw him, he knew something had changed.

Naruto walked taller and prouder than before, the guilt still lingered in his eyes but alongwith that Kurama also saw fierce determination. A man burning with passion whose every stride made the ground beneath him tremble a little, made every passerby glance at him awe and fear both.

He saw him going into this temple as a broken boy but now he saw a grown man returning.

The beast's eyes somehow drifted towards the temple top where he saw a women staring at Naruto's retreating form.

Kurama blinked...

Could it be?

It was hard to tell when Naruto masked his emotions so perfectly but he did smell a scent on his friend that was not his own. And it laid quite heavy on his body which confirmed what Kurama had suspected.

And he made sure to remind his friend of that...

"You defied your Father..." stated Kurama, and was stunned when Naruto looked back at him without a flinch.

"Yes"

Kurama had known this boy for years now and nothing had made him hesitate more than to defy Tajima Uchiha and his orders. Yet the Naruto he stared at right now was not someone who was going to accept the things laid out before him. There was a fire in his eyes, the will to accomplish his dreams he had as a boy. Ones which were lost in the tragedies of his life...

And he was going to burn anyone who got in his way.

"She could get pregnant, Naruto" warned Kurama, for he was quite aware the retribution Tajima would wreck on his son for defying his order of never maintaining any kind of relationship with any women. The man was even more ruthless than his own sons which was saying something.

"I know"

Again with the short and cryptic answers which made Kurama growl and Naruto to finally stare at him straight with his hard eyes.

"If it's a girl she will either stay with her or come to me. If it's a boy I shall raise him, and if neither happens then I'll consider this my first step in regaining all I have lost" promised Naruto,

"But you were forbidden from ever having a family" said Kurama seriously,

The murderous glare that came in Naruto's eyes made Kurama take a step back out of caution for it reminded him of the same rage that had came in Indra's eyes when the man's own father did him injustice.

"I am taking back what is mine with force if I have to. If my Father tries to resist, I shall destroy his precious legacy to shreds. Long have I allowed others to roll over me, I thought things would change and that my people would turnaround. That this world will become a better place but I was wrong. If I want things to change, then I have to conquer my own problems first" explained Naruto seriously,

Kurama was left speechless and couldn't help but wonder as to what must have passed between Naruto and this priestess. His friend was a secretive and strange man, taking inspirations from things most men would neither notice or understand. Even if he didn't know what truly happened, he was glad to see the boy he had met first years ago. The one who had so many dreams and ambitions in life. All these years that boy had been buried beneath the burden of family and duty, but finally the boy had died and a man was born.

"You plan to conquer the entire world?" asked Kurama cheekily, earning a cocky grin from his friend.

"If I have to. I dare say it would be quite the adventure, wouldn't you say, old friend?" asked Naruto happily,

The both embraced each other with laughs before Kurama allowed Naruto to get on top of his back. He watched the Uchiha's lingering gaze still resting on the beautiful woman who was waving back at him sadly. Naruto in return gave her his own sad smile and waved back before turning his beast friend around to begin their charge back towards the Yamanaka settlement.

"No one should ever know about this. Not Father, Naori or even Madara or any other person" instructed Naruto,

"You don't trust them?" asked Kurama in surprise, for all the gods knew the boy loved his family.

"It's not that. We are all duty bound towards the clan and to Father. Even if they don't want to reveal this secret, Father could force them. And I don't trust the old man. He may never allow me to have a family but this way should Shizuka ever have a child of mine, then my line and family would continue. Once Father dies, then I know my brother will gladly welcome his niece or nephew into the clan. The fact that their mother was a highly respected priestess should do well in silencing any protests" clarified Naruto,

"You sly little bastard. I forgot you could be quite the mastermind, you really have thought this all through and I have to assume this Shizuka is happy to be the mother of your children should she have any. I mean, you barely know each other" said Kurama with a frown, making Naruto laugh.

"You don't understand their culture, fox. They seek men who are strong and good, the fact that I am handsome and of noble blood only makes me more popular. Besides, it was quite the experience and I want to punch my Father for preventing me all this time" said Naruto harshly, making Kurama laugh.

''Whatever you say, it's your decision. But there is a some sense in this mad plan of yours, but a Priestess? And that too inside the temple? Gods, you have no shame man" mocked Kurama with a grin,

He regretted those words when without warning Naruto activated his sharingan and looked right into Kurama's eyes.

"YOU BASTARD!"

Naruto laughed boisterously on hearing Kurama roar in fury and even his stomach hurt as the beast desperately tried to blink his eyes shut. As if doing so would rid him of the exact memory Naruto had placed in his mind, of Naruto and Shizuka going at it like dogs in heat for hours.

''Take that, you stupid fox" taunted Naruto with a smug grin,

"I will kill you for this disgusting nightmare you have placed in my mind!" screamed Kurama, but it only made Naruto laugh more.

"Then who will remove this beautiful memory from your mind? Only I and Madara can do it, and I don't think you want to ask my brother for help. So hush you stupid fox and run" commanded Naruto with a smirk,

Kurama yelled hundreds of nasty obscenities for nearly an hour but it only made Naruto laugh more and more until his sides started to hurt. Yet he was happy and free of the burden that had weighed heavily on his mind ever since he burned Itama Yamanaka.

There would always be darkness in this world, enemies always waiting to harm him.

But if he was to find true happiness then he had to conquer it. Izuna had wished it for him with his dying breath and if not for himself than Naruto was going to do it for his dear brother.

He had to find his way back to power, respect and his place in his family no matter the cost or consequences.

His encounter with Shizuka was one he was not going to ever forget for it had truly opened his eyes in more ways than he could have imagined. But it also made him wonder about something.

He had not loved Mikoto or Shizuka, yet he was attracted to them for different reasons. He had maintained different kind of relationships with them yet he didn't love them.

Did that make him a heartless bastard? Or someone who was not capable of love?

Either way he doubted he could ever love any woman in his life permanently. The gods had to practically throw Shizuka at his face to make him realize many important things, would they do the same the next time?

But then again he had not yet been bound to any woman no matter how hard they tried.

Naori had always called him a Wild Dragon and his actions as well as personality befit his aunt's hypothesis. The only one possible of even getting a hold on him should be more crazier or wilder than him.

And those kind of morons were a rare breed in this unforgiving world.

Maybe he could be a Casanova kind of bachelor? That thought was quite amusing to his young mind for it filled his head with several enticing images.

But for now he was content in basking in pure joy as Kurama yelled at him to take those memories out of his head.

(Next Day)

When he entered the borders of Yamanaka territory he was very pleased to see a joint force of Uchiha, Hatake and Yamanaka keeping watch. What actually surprised him was the roar of approval and cheers from not just the Hatake's...

But the Uchiha's as well.

Even Kurama seemed surprised by this change of heart.

And as they continued to march straight towards the settlement the roar only continued to grow louder and more bolder. On everyone's lips there was just one chant...

The Young Dragon

Naruto's throat felt dry as he remembered this same name given to him in honor of his first victory against the Senjus, back then he had not felt anything for this title because he had lost three brothers for the victory.

But now...

For the first time in his life he saw true respect and even admiration in the eyes of his people and it was all for him.

It was overwhelming.

He had never received even a quarter of this love and cheers when he defeated the Fuma Clan in single combat. But then again they were not Senjus and any victory against those tree huggers was enough to make any Uchiha a legend.

And Naruto knew he had managed to achieve victory from the jaws of death. He had saved the lives of his clansmen, thrashed the Senjus, took Tobirama hostage and had successfully managed to bring two great clans to their side.

It was a great victory, probably his best till now. And he had every intention of achieving even greater ones should it give him even half of the love he was receiving right now.

He had been afraid that his people and allies alike would hate him for burning Itama Yamanaka alive, but that single act had secured their victory. Could it be at that time they had just been too shocked of his action rather than be repulsed?

It had to be the case because if it wasn't that not every Uchiha or Hatake would be coming forward to greet and praise him.

"THE YOUNG DRAGON!"

"THE YOUNG DRAGON!"

"THE YOUNG DRAGON!"

He road through the town that was shaking with the loud cheers and callings of his title over and over. Had he himself been the reason for his misery all these years? Was it so easy to change his own world?

But now he knew where the problem had been.

It had always been just one person, Naruto himself.

He had borne the guilt of killing his clansmen and his failure in saving his brothers, it made him loath himself. And how could he expect people to love him when he didn't even love himself? How could he expect the prideful Uchiha to respect him when he himself allowed them to mock him behind his back?

Had he confronted them, even punished a few severely then perhaps they would have feared him. But they would not dare to mock him or curse him...

But it was all in the past now.

Seize Control of your life.

He remembered Shizuka's words to him and it was only now that his shoulders stood tall and proud. His smile was infectious as he truly basked in the much awaited love from his people. The Uchiha's were a prideful clan and one who had long memories.

They would never forget a slight and answer it with thrice the retribution, but they were not one to forget loyalty and sacrifice either.

And he had given them both for nearly ten years while bearing all their scorn and hate.

"You made it, boy" whispered Kurama, and while the beast didn't give a rat's ass about what the Uchiha thought of his friend he was atleast relieved to see them accept Naruto for the man he was. It took ten fucking years of misery and pain, but the moment was here.

They both arrived at the Yamanaka castle to be greeted by Naori and the entire Kinsguard alongwith a small force of Uchiha and Hatake officers.

When Naruto dismounted and walked towards them, he made sure to keep his emotions in check. No need to appear smug when the look in his aunt's eyes was quite grave. But he was surprised when his clansmen knelt before him and the Hatake's gave a respectful bow.

Naori gave him a fierce embrace but said nothing about his absence for three days. He had gone away knowing she and his friends could handle it, and they had done just that and more. He had a feeling his aunt and his friends might have a hand in making their clansmen truly accept what he had done for them even going so far as almost sacrificing his life.

Still, it was just a small contingent of his large clan and allies. There were still the Elders, lesser noble families, and the common Uchiha civilians and soldiers both. He would have to win their hearts too, but this was a start.

He was brought out of his inner musings when Naori wordlessly passed him a scroll.

And his eyes widened when he recognized the seal.

The Fire Damiyo.

Quickly he opened the letter and saw the seal was already partially broken meaning his aunt had already read the message and as he went through the content of the letters his smile disappeared to be replaced by a cold mask of fury.

"What will you do?" asked Naori hesitantly,

Naruto saw Kurama looking at him for information and decided to explain what had happened.

"The Senjus have went to the Capital with quite a large force. It is known to everyone the Damiyo favors them but he also doesn't want to antagonize the Uchiha. The Damiyo has called our side for negotiations in hopes of reaching some form of truce" explained Naruto seriously,

"So they ask for talks while keeping an army nearby to slaughter us should we not agree to their terms? Doesn't Hashirama realize we will kill his brother before he tries to harm one of our own?" asked Kagami furiously,

"They have called me to represent our clan alongwith a small guard detail. I doubt Hashirama will attempt something knowing any action against me means Tobirama dies" said Naruto hesitantly,

"It's a trap. The Damiyo's in on it" spat Takeshi bitterly,

"You cannot ignore a royal summons from the Court. Much less one from the Damiyo himself..." warned Naori,

Naruto somberly stared at the message directed to him and what implications it held for him. He would have assumed Hashirama wanted to negotiate with his Father since Tajima was the clan head and the authority. But it seemed the Senju clan head wanted Naruto to represent his clan since it was he who defeated the Senju and currently held Tobirama captive, and not Tajima.

Or was there some other purpose?

He looked at his aunt who was the politician in their family and even she seemed wary and unable to determine the true motive behind their enemies actions.

"His grace summons you to the Capital. Then you'll go to the Capital"

Naruto's eyes widened and his voice died in his throat as he looked at the person approaching towards him. Despite the situation a wide smile came on his face and breaking all sense of grace he ran towards the person.

"But not alone"

Madara barely managed to make his promise before Naruto had engulfed him in a monstrous bear hug. Being the taller among the two, Madara lifted his sibling in the air earning a loud chuckle from him. He finally managed to calm down his young brother and got a look at him.

Gods, how many years had it been since he last saw the depressed little runt?

He remembered bidding farewell to a young boy only to see a full grown man before him. A man who had proven himself a true Uchiha and was the pride of Madara's eyes.

Naruto also looked at his brother and saw Madara was a few inches taller than him, his frame broader and more muscular than Naruto. His baby fat had melted away and despite being clean shaven, Madara was an intimidating figure with his long shaggy black hair reaching upto his back and onyx black eyes that held the Sharingan in them.

It was hard for Naruto to accept that this man was feared across the elemental nations almost at the same level as Hashirama. Probably even more for while Hashirama was kind, Madara was ruthless.

But then again, Madara had always been just his eldest brother to Naruto. Someone whom he could truly depend upon, a person who had defended him all their lives and stood for him more than anyone else.

And here was his brother again, after all these years ready to protect his sibling in his need of hour.

This man was the reason Naruto had never wavered in his loyalty to the Uchiha for he would rather die than cause Madara any harm. Even if it meant serving those who hated him, but now his brother was back and he could already feel things changing.

Madara's next command to Naori was a proof of that...

"Call the army"